New purchase, CDL Bucket/Chipper, Non-CDL Dump/Chipper, etc.

[ApexTreeService]

Been using a small F350 dump and chuck and duck. Looking to upscale. Wondering, anyone have advice on a good combo, such as: CDL sized Single cab bucket/chip dump (11,12 feet etc.) towing a diesel disc chipper with infeed rollers, or maybe a smaller non CDL truck with a shorter boom (42' vs. a 60 to 70') like an F450 w/ a flatbed, or maybe even a chip box and towing the same type of chipper, a disc infeed type. Or, some companies around here have a chip truck with large capacity, and the modern infeed chipper, and a separate boom truck with like a flat bed so it doesn't exceed CDL weight. What will be the most profitable in the long run, including CDL licensing and finding CDL licensed employees?

 

[pdqdl]

That's too long of a question. Why don't you just ask us to come make all your buying decisions?

Ok. Send me all your spare money, and then tell me how much work you have lined up. I'll spend it wisely for you, with only a 5% sales commission. Satisfaction guaranteed!

 

[ApexTreeService]

That's too long of a question. Why don't you just ask us to come make all your buying decisions?

Ok. Send me all your spare money, and then tell me how much work you have lined up. I'll spend it wisely for you, with only a 5% sales commission. Satisfaction guaranteed!

Well well, obviously your mother and father did a #$%ity job and made a big mistake! Called you!. Now let me get this right, your a member, an MVP, of an internet site meant to share information yet when someone asks for some information you scoff at them. Real bright there, oh that's OK, I'm sure your drunk you redneck loser. Oh, now you going to tell me I'm the loser for asking advice, and how your much more successful, and knowledgeable, and all your ignorance is going to spew much like the mistake you father (if you can call him that) made. NOW LISTEN YOU LOW I.Q. UNEDUCATED DIRTBAG DON'T EVER RESPOND TO ANY HUMAN UNLESS YOU HAVE SOMETHING POSITIVE TO STATE YOU LOSER BABY OF A MISTAKE

p.s. (that's post script, the thing I just did above loser) I am asking you, the professional (not you ^ loser) to help make experienced decisions. Yeah, let's all keep everything a secret, idiot.

 

[pdqdl]

Your irate response indicates that you are a little out of balance in your expectations from strangers. Apparently, you have no sense of humor, and you respond poorly to even mild sarcasm.

Perhaps you should consider adding that to your signature, so that we will know to tread lightly around you.
***************************************************

Really. I wasn't trying to offend, I was being a bit of a wise guy while pointing out that your question is too complex to answer without additional information. Things like "Do you do more removal than trimming", or "How many people are on your crew" are important to efficiency and productivity. Whatever is more profitable is entirely dependent upon your operation and your customers.

You didn't tell us about those important things, so I felt like being a wise guy. Since you responded with mountains of verbal abuse to a fairly innocuous comment, I don't imagine that you will encourage anyone else to be helpful, either. There are lots of good folks at this site, and a great deal of knowledge available to those that would listen. If you come in to play in the commercial tree care forum, you need to have thicker skin so that you don't get scratched so easily.

BTW: You can't insult me from the internet. When you spew such poorly aimed insults at me, all you are doing is revealing your own weakness. Your opinion of me has no cash value, I don't know you from Adam; so your insults are no more effective than shooting ping pong balls at an elephant. If you had been a bit more clever in trying to get me upset, I could have had some fun with this.

 

[ApexTreeService]

Apparently some idiot said an eye for an eye, and so I treat others how they treat me. Which, yes, is a viscous cycle. On the net, you either get a couple of good points of view (such as, oh yes, I tries the smaller thing, but the way to go is roll in with the 70' boom and dump and get it done right), or you get jokers (you), in a business world. I am running a business here because I like working for myself, I like helping people out who cannot do for themselves, I like helping trees out and beautifying out continent, and I like NOT WASTING MY TIME. That includes playing prick war with people hundreds of miles away. I'm not here to make friends, or crack a smile, I share my experience and hope some can do and take from that. If all knowledge were to be lost with every generation, we would have loin cloths and spears. A lot of good people here? Big deal, this is a forum meant for advancing the industry of tree care.

 

[ApexTreeService]

Your BTW comment is a good one, touche.

 

[beowulf343]

That's too long of a question. Why don't you just ask us to come make all your buying decisions?

Ok. Send me all your spare money, and then tell me how much work you have lined up. I'll spend it wisely for you, with only a 5% sales commission. Satisfaction guaranteed!

Lol:hmm3grin2orange:

Been using a small F350 dump and chuck and duck. Looking to upscale. Wondering, anyone have advice on a good combo, such as: CDL sized Single cab bucket/chip dump (11,12 feet etc.) towing a diesel disc chipper with infeed rollers, or maybe a smaller non CDL truck with a shorter boom (42' vs. a 60 to 70') like an F450 w/ a flatbed, or maybe even a chip box and towing the same type of chipper, a disc infeed type. Or, some companies around here have a chip truck with large capacity, and the modern infeed chipper, and a separate boom truck with like a flat bed so it doesn't exceed CDL weight. What will be the most profitable in the long run, including CDL licensing and finding CDL licensed employees?

Pdqdl is right, you ask too many questions here without giving enough information. (And some of your questions kind of make me wonder if you have enough experience to be going to the next level-"with like a flat bed?" But I'll throw some experience out there on the two parts i have bolded. Forget buying a 42' bucket-you are going to constantly wish you had something longer. All ours are 70 or 75 footers and there are still times we wish we had a little more. And secondly, just because a bucket is on a flat bed doesn't mean you won't need a cdl, most of ours are rear mount flatbeds and they all need a cdl to drive.

 

[pdqdl]

That's because "75 footers" weigh too much. I think there is an absence of CDL experience that he needs to correct first.

Buy what investment will pay for itself quickest and most profitably. If that means getting a CDL, or hiring a qualified driver...then do it! Almost all the rest of us redneck losers have gotten a CDL, so you can too.

 

[oldirty]

first time i've seen pdq get someone to fire off **** talk! and he wasn't even being a dink! lol

you out of line apex. apologize to the nice man.



42ft bucket on a f450. lol! lol indeed. you just going to try to corner the hedge trimming side of the industry?

good luck.

 

[mckeetree]

Apex, your question was long and convoluted. I never could understand why guys with no CDL can ask so many truck questions when all it boils down to is they don't have a CDL. I have a pocket full of certs and license, one of them being a class A CDL. If I were you, I would endeavor to make myself fit the situation....not the situation fit me.

 

[oldugly]

Depends too on how much you travel on average to your jobs. If you are traveling a greater distance, say a 60 mile radius...then a combo unit with a decent chipper pays for itself in fuel savings...(and yes some of them are under cdl...just be careful when you add the chipper weight to them)...If you are not traveling that far..say a 30 mile radius then a separate bucket with a decent reach is the way to go. As stated before the only way to comment intelligently would be to have more information to comment on.
Also...on a side note...If you want advice in this forum...it is best to treat others as you would wish to be treated.
You are asking for something from someone who has nothing to gain by giving it to you...yet you are resentful and defensive at a playful wisecrack. Maybe if you do not have time for that...you should ask your questions at the local bar where you picked up your attitude.

 

[treeclimber101]

Been using a small F350 dump and chuck and duck. Looking to upscale. Wondering, anyone have advice on a good combo, such as: CDL sized Single cab bucket/chip dump (11,12 feet etc.) towing a diesel disc chipper with infeed rollers, or maybe a smaller non CDL truck with a shorter boom (42' vs. a 60 to 70') like an F450 w/ a flatbed, or maybe even a chip box and towing the same type of chipper, a disc infeed type. Or, some companies around here have a chip truck with large capacity, and the modern infeed chipper, and a separate boom truck with like a flat bed so it doesn't exceed CDL weight. What will be the most profitable in the long run, including CDL licensing and finding CDL licensed employees?

Go buy your a decent bucket truck with a box at least 60ft anything less is a joke , there useless without a chip body and a decent 12" chipper , big enough to do the job small enough not destroy the truck your pulling it with , there are so many out there you can buy both for around 30K / 40K and have some decent equipment that will carry you for many years , its what I would call the tree service startup kit ...

 

[tree MDS]

Well well, obviously your mother and father did a #$%ity job and made a big mistake! Called you!. Now let me get this right, your a member, an MVP, of an internet site meant to share information yet when someone asks for some information you scoff at them. Real bright there, oh that's OK, I'm sure your drunk you redneck loser. Oh, now you going to tell me I'm the loser for asking advice, and how your much more successful, and knowledgeable, and all your ignorance is going to spew much like the mistake you father (if you can call him that) made. NOW LISTEN YOU LOW I.Q. UNEDUCATED DIRTBAG DON'T EVER RESPOND TO ANY HUMAN UNLESS YOU HAVE SOMETHING POSITIVE TO STATE YOU LOSER BABY OF A MISTAKE

p.s. (that's post script, the thing I just did above loser) I am asking you, the professional (not you ^ loser) to help make experienced decisions. Yeah, let's all keep everything a secret, idiot.

I may just qualify for drunk redneck loser (technically), but at least I know how to buy my own equipment! Lmfao.. help me internet!

 

[tree MDS]

first time i've seen pdq get someone to fire off **** talk! and he wasn't even being a dink! lol

you out of line apex. apologize to the nice man.



42ft bucket on a f450. lol! lol indeed. you just going to try to corner the hedge trimming side of the industry?

good luck.

Lol! Remember the dude that had that little bucket thingy mounted on that old ass F-350 that looked like Cooter's wrecker?? Lol, that was some good stuff!

 

[mckeetree]

I may just qualify for drunk redneck loser (technically), but at least I know how to buy my own equipment! Lmfao.. help me internet!

You got a point there.

 

[ducaticorse]

Your irate response indicates that you are a little out of balance in your expectations from strangers. Apparently, you have no sense of humor, and you respond poorly to even mild sarcasm.

Perhaps you should consider adding that to your signature, so that we will know to tread lightly around you.
***************************************************

Really. I wasn't trying to offend, I was being a bit of a wise guy while pointing out that your question is too complex to answer without additional information. Things like "Do you do more removal than trimming", or "How many people are on your crew" are important to efficiency and productivity. Whatever is more profitable is entirely dependent upon your operation and your customers.

You didn't tell us about those important things, so I felt like being a wise guy. Since you responded with mountains of verbal abuse to a fairly innocuous comment, I don't imagine that you will encourage anyone else to be helpful, either. There are lots of good folks at this site, and a great deal of knowledge available to those that would listen. If you come in to play in the commercial tree care forum, you need to have thicker skin so that you don't get scratched so easily.

BTW: You can't insult me from the internet. When you spew such poorly aimed insults at me, all you are doing is revealing your own weakness. Your opinion of me has no cash value, I don't know you from Adam; so your insults are no more effective than shooting ping pong balls at an elephant. If you had been a bit more clever in trying to get me upset, I could have had some fun with this.

I love the last part.

 

[ApexTreeService]

I like the last part too. Worthy opponent. More so than myself. I do thank the individuals that gave real info. 60-70 ft boom, chip dump, with 12" chipper, get CDL.


The reason I even asked is because when I first worked for a tree service back in the '90's, they had a couple of crews with: a climber, a dump, and a big chipper. Now, most I see have a large forestry boom/dump with in-feed chipper. Some, I see have boom trucks with no dump, just flat bed.


I now see the most efficient way to load and dispose of material. The way one our largest local services handles debris. Chippers take fuel, time, maintenance, sharpening. Our largest tree services around here load large box back dump trucks with grapple material loader (small tractor), then pay the same at the local green waste: chipped or un-chipped. Screw chipping it. That's working for free. Just get a huge box truck, and a grapple loader. Tow the grapple loader with the box dump, like it would the chipper. Haul, and crush the debris with the grapple. One of our largest outfits here loads semi's and large box dumps with un-chipped tree limbs via grapple. Then, pays a few bucks extra to have the dump tub grind it.

 

[pdqdl]

If you are doing mostly removals: skip the chipper, and get a tandem axle grapple truck with a big reach.

Then add a mini-loader for when the tree is too far away from the truck. Chipper is for reducing the size of the load; most practical when you are doing trimming jobs, or small removals. If you drive a long way or your dump expenses are high per truckload of brush, the chipper will pay for itself there.

The really big boys grind everything up with monster chippers.

BTW: You made an adequate recovery from a rough start on this thread; at least I got your grudging respect. With a little luck, you may come to understand that people will like you better for your mistakes gracefully corrected than any amount of "being right" done offensively.

 

[prentice110]

oke: this isnt going where i thought it might. I wanna see some blood. Everybodys raving about 60-75foot booms. I ran a 50 foot skyworker for years and didnt have to climb out too much. Of course, I also ran a 60ft XT hi ranger for years and almost never climbed out. Sometimes tho, you just dont have the room to unfold that much stick. I wish there was a place to dump clam loads of brush around here. Its sounds like your going to have to take a long hard look at the type of work you get/want and just figure out what you need. Itd be nice to drive a 45 foot f-450 to places a international wont fit, but youll curse yourself for not haven ten more feet. I gotta old prentice Ill sell ya. Buy my chipper too . Im haven a ream me sale.

 

[medic2397]

Man, you guys must have a lot different scenario than I do up in upstate NY. I bought a used Asplundh LRIII for a very decent price and still utilize an 80's chuck n duck. Getting rid of chips is not a problem, farmers, landscapers, etc. take them without question. I have thought about a grapple myself, but only for moving the trunks. The only thing I might remind you about a grapple vs. a chip/dump combo is that you need to insure/register the grapple. Again, in NY registering a CDL sized grapple is NOT cheap. On the flip side, a chipper does not need to be registered or insured in NYS. Just a New Yorker's opinion!